Fisheries Investigations

The relatively high position ichthyofauna hold in most aquatic ecosystems combined with their diverse life cycle and utilization of estuaries and wetland areas for nursery and feeding habitat potentially expose them to greater ecological stress from anthropogenic activities. Combining this with the economic (commercial) and public utilization (sport fishing) of this natural resource results in special focus being placed on fisheries investigations following any natural or man-induced impact to an aquatic ecosystem.
Applied Marine Sciences, Inc. (AMS) and its professional staff have been involved in the design and performance of numerous specialized fisheries investigations assessing the short and long-term effects of contaminants and anthropogenic impacts on coastal, estuarine and freshwater fisheries. In designing these studies, we take into account the life cycle and habitat utilization of the critical or key species under investigation, the known or suspected effects the pollutant or impact has on the species at a cellular or organic system level and the applicability of sampling and analytical testing protocols. These investigations often include the sublethal effects of contaminants on enzyme systems and sensitive receptors. Important pioneering studies have also been carried out on reproductive and histopathological effects of contaminants.
Results of AMS performed fisheries investigations have been used in highly contentious Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) investigations, the design and construction of industrial facilities and by US governmental agencies in developing natural resource utilization and environmental protection procedures and policies.

Recent Projects in Fisheries Investigations

Effects of Industrial Wastes on Fishes
Petroleum from an industrial vehicle wash-down area operated by Canadian Pacific Rail escaped containment and entered a nearby river.

Effects of PCB and DDT Discharges to the Southern California Bight
AMS carried out a large multidisciplinary study (involving several subcontractors) of the effects of DDT and PCB on the endocrinology and reproductive biology of Kelp Bass in southern California.

Effects of OCS Oil & Gas Production Platforms on Rocky Reef Fishes and Fisheries
This study, funded by the Dept. of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, was designed to determine the effects of petroleum platforms on the distribution, tropic relationship, tissue concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons, and histopathological abnormalities in commercially important fishes.

Effects of Nearshore Structures on Arctic Anadromous Fishes
In support of the proposed construction of a nearshore support base in the Barents Sea of Russia’s Arctic coast where the endangered Atlantic Salmon annually migrates.

ANIMIDA (Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in the Development Area)
AMS is currently executing for the US Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, on a multi-year project it designed to determine the biotic impact of several new oil and gas development projects on federal leases in the Beaufort Sea (Alaska's North Slope).

PNRI (Pacific Northwest Research Institute)
Applied Marine Sciences, Inc. (AMS) is a Core-Team member in this EPA funded research project investigating the feasibility of using non-destructive fish-gill biopsies to monitor the impact of marine contamination at Superfund sites.